As another shark thriller dives into the movie theaters, its intriguing specs of sci-fi and unknowing instances of jump-scares grab the attention of both teenagers and adults. Directed by Jon Turteltaub, an American film director and producer, “The Meg” is based on Steve Alten’s best-selling novel “Meg: A Novel of Deep Terror.”

Turteltaub previously directed two popular movies: “National Treasure” in 2004 and later “National Treasure: Book of Secrets.”

Although this movie has low reviews, personally, with more work, it could have potentially gained much more positive feedback.

One thing I liked about “The Meg” was that it carried an abundant amount of suspense to certain audiences like me. Although it is considered a thriller, its level of “thrills” cannot compete with most movies. One spooky scene–so spooky it’s also in the trailer–that is fairly high on my scariness scale was when the megalodon made its way to the underwater research center and appeared in front of researcher Suyin’s (actress Li Bing Bing) daughter. The only factor that kept the megalodon from swallowing the eight-year-old whole was highly durable glass, and even that was almost punctured.

The movie begins with a flashback of professional diver Jonas Taylor (actor Jason Stratham) rescuing a group of divers stuck in a submarine at the bottom of the ocean. During his rescue, powerful vibrations from a mysterious creature ascend throughout the broken submarine and, through a very unfortunate decision, he abandons some divers still trapped in order to escape death. He and a few saved divers make it out alive while the submarine explodes immediately after they get away, which Dr. Heller (actor Robert Taylor), one of the saved divers, would consider an act of betrayal. As a doctor, he diagnoses Jonas with having pressure-induced psychosis and claims he escaped because he was a coward. Five years into the future, where the movie takes place, a group of researchers, Dr. Heller included, continues their original research, and this is where the movie officially starts.

What greatly intrigued me was how “The Meg” displayed logical scientific information in its film. Much of Earth’s oceans have not been explored, so there is a multitude still unknown. Scenes like the bypass of the mysterious hydrogen and behaviors of sharks make this sci-fi thriller amusing as well as somewhat thought-provoking.

Another component I find noteworthy in this movie is that director Turteltaub did not dedicate the whole movie to the two main actors, Jonas and Suyin. Instead, all the actors and actresses had a significant part of the film dedicated to them, like where Toshi (actor Moshi Oka) knew that they were going to die, so he writes a letter to his family. All the cast members contributed their efforts to make this movie PG-13 compliant and interesting to watch.

Although “The Meg” has great character development and plot, the general acting at some points could be better. Scenes such as encounters with the megalodon were not as realistic as they could be (such as the dinosaurs in “Jurassic World”). However, their unrealistic acts of silliness helps the movie be not only a light thriller, but also a fawning comedy. Jonas especially showed off several funny moments in this movie. Conversational humor where the child attempts to set Jonas and Suyin together is definitely my favorite comedic scene in the movie.

Overall, “The Meg” is a great show for those who are not picky with perfect acting and somewhat scary movies. For those who involuntarily analyze and judge movies and actors, there are other fish in the sea. The comedic references kind of round off the seriousness of the thriller, making it a disappointment to several fans of immensely scary movies. Personally, it’s the director’s way of making this unique amongst other shark movies. I would definitely recommend “The Meg” to those who cannot handle most scary movies, but have a slight curiosity for them.

Produced by The Warner Bros, “The Meg” was finally released on the tenth of August this year.